The gluteus, also known as your booty, is the biggest muscle group in the body. There are three glute muscles that comprise your behind, including the gluteus medius.

No one minds a good-looking rear-end, but a strong booty is worth so much more to your overall health than just aesthetics: Your glutes are the most powerful muscles in your body and responsible for any movements of the hip and thighs. These include sitting, walking, running, and more.

Unfortunately, sometimes you may forget to use your glutes properly and instead rely on your back.

Have you or someone you know ever hurt their back from lifting something heavy? Chances are, the injury was caused because the glutes weren’t engaged. Your glutes should be doing the heavy lifting, not your spine!

Strengthening this area requires good form and concentration. You must “tell” your glutes to work—they can be lazy.

Stand with your feet parallel and hip-width apart. If you feel comfortable, you can hold light dumbbells.

Keep your spine long and your gaze forward. Your shoulders should be back and down.

Squeeze the glutes as you fold from the hips, bending your knees so that your seat reaches back past your heels. Resist the urge to round your spine in order to “give in to the weight.”

Allow your glutes and belly to control your descent and ascent.

You can increase the weight gradually as you begin to feel stronger and more comfortable.

Tip: To help keep your spine from flexing, imagine you have a pole strapped around your torso.

Apply it to daily life

The dead lift is incredibly functional and should be applied to daily life. This is how to pick up anything heavy off the floor. Practice using your glutes, core, and quads every day to ensure a healthy spine.

Advanced option

Try a single-leg version:

Reach back with one leg, flex your foot, and use your glutes to lift your leg as you fold forward from the hips.

Advanced option

This move is a major booty blaster. It also has the bonus of being dynamic, which means it can burn major calories.

Start with your legs shoulder-width apart. Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in the center of your torso, with your elbows reaching out to the sides. Keep your shoulders down and engage your core. Keep your chest upright.

As you descend, think of reaching out with your knees. Allow your seat to reach slightly back as your hips flex as if you were about to sit down.

Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10. As this gets easier, increase the weight.

Advanced option

Lateral squats are the same basic squat, but after you stand up, sidestep to the left and then squat again. Return to center, sidestep to the right, and squat. Be mindful of your leg, knee, and foot alignment. Make sure you keep your knees and toes tracking in the same direction.